1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic reader. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing an electronic reader having interactive and educational features.
2. Background and Related Art
Reading is an important skill that is not only fundamental to a person's educational development, but is also essential to a person's ability to compete in today's world. That is, the ability to read is a skill that is often needed to progress educationally, vocationally, socially, and financially in today's society. Additionally, reading is often a source of entertainment.
Reading materials come in a wide variety of formats and types of media. For example, some reading materials, such as books, magazines, papers, signs, and the like are physically tangible (“physical print reading materials”). In another example, however, other reading materials, such as those displayed on a television, a computer, the Internet, and so forth, are found in a physically intangible, electronic format.
Reading materials in an electronic format, such as electronic-books, or e-books, have become increasingly popular and may offer several advantages over physical print reading materials. In one example, unlike physical print reading materials, e-books can save space by not requiring an area for physical storage. In another example, e-books may not be as susceptible to traditional physical wear and tear as are many physical print reading materials. In yet another example, e-books may offer additional features, such as electronic searching and zooming, that are not available in physical print reading materials.
Unfortunately, many conventional e-books have shortcomings or limitations. For example, some e-books require a level of computer literacy that is higher than that possessed by many young children and those who are unfamiliar with computers and e-books. Accordingly, some may find such e-books difficult and frustrating to use without help from another person. In another example, some e-books present reading materials in a format that is foreign or uncomfortable to many people. For instance, some e-books may remove the pictures, present the pictures in a different color than is found in the physical print version of the reading material, or change the pages through scrolling. In still another example, some e-books are configured for use by literate persons and do little to teach novice readers to read or improve their reading skills. For instance, many e-books are focused on merely providing a document for reading and offer little, if any, educational feedback. In a final example, many e-books are made to provide reading materials to a broad range of people and do little to tailor the reading experience to a particular reader.
Thus, while techniques currently exist that are used to provide reading materials in an electronic format, such as through e-books, challenges still exist, including those previously mentioned. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.